{"id":54583,"date":"2025-10-01T17:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/54583\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T17:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T17:32:10","slug":"the-harvest-supermoon-meets-saturn-and-the-show-starts-tonight-heres-where-to-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/54583\/","title":{"rendered":"The Harvest Supermoon meets Saturn, and the show starts tonight. Here’s where to look"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Harvest Moon rises on Tuesday 7 October 2025, marking the first of three supermoons visible before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

But before that, the waxing Moon will approach and tango with the planet Saturn, making for a beautiful naked-eye sight you can enjoy all week.<\/p>\n

And it starts tonight, 1 October.<\/p>\n

Get more stargazing advice by signing up to our e-newsletter<\/a> and subscribing to our YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 2024 Harvest Moon rising over Burnley, Lancashire, UK, captured by Lee Mansfield<\/p>\n

Saturn is currently at its best, having just passed opposition<\/a>, which is when it’s on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun.<\/p>\n

And the Moon is approaching perigee, which is the point in its orbit when it’s closest to Earth.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Saturn and the Moon are sharing the same patch of sky.<\/p>\n

Over the coming evenings, the Moon will get closer and closer to Saturn each night, the two eventually rising in the same location next to one other.<\/p>\n

You won’t want to miss this easy, beginner-friendly stargazing event. Here, we’ll reveal exactly where you need to look and when, and what you’ll see.<\/p>\n

1 October
\n\"OnOn 1 October 2025, the the three stars of the Summer Triangle \u2013 Deneb, Vega and Altair \u2013\u00a0seem to point directly at the Moon. Saturn is further east. Credit: Stellarium<\/p>\n

Tonight, the Moon is in its gibbous<\/a> phase, when the Earth-facing side of the Moon is more than half-lit.<\/p>\n

Over the coming evenings, the lit portion of the Moon will increase, culminating in the full Harvest Moon<\/a> \u2013 a supermoon<\/a> \u2013 rising on 7 October.<\/p>\n

On 1 October, the gibbous Moon rises in the southeast in the early evening, making its way over to the south by the time the sky grows properly dark.<\/p>\n

It’s quite low down, so you may need a clear southern horizon in order to see it.<\/p>\n

The Moon forms a 3-body alignment with bright stars Altair<\/a> and Vega<\/a>, stretching upwards from the horizon.<\/p>\n

Altair is the lower of the two stars; Vega is higher and brighter.<\/p>\n

\"DenebChart showing the formation of the Summer Triangle in the sky. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/p>\n

Altair, Vega and star Deneb<\/a> form the Summer Triangle<\/a>, a well-known star pattern, or asterism<\/a>. See if you can spot all three and mark the triangle’s location.<\/p>\n

On 1 October, the Summer Triangle will look like an arrow pointing down towards the Moon.<\/p>\n

When the Moon is in the south, around 8pm, look to the southeast and you’ll see a bright ‘star’. That’s the planet Saturn.<\/p>\n

Saturn has just passed opposition, which is the best time to see the planet.<\/p>\n

Opposition is when a planet or other celestial body is on the opposite side to Earth from the Sun, meaning it’s bright and well-positioned for observing in the night sky.<\/p>\n

Saturn currently rises in the east around sunset and sets in the west before dawn, so it’s visible all night.<\/p>\n

Get out your binoculars or a telescope for a closer look at the ringed planet, and see if you can spot some of Saturn’s brightest moons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ExploreExplore the line between the lit and unlit portions of the Moon and see if you can spot any craters or other lunar features. Credit: John Williams, Ashton in Makerfield, UK<\/p>\n

Then turn your binoculars or telescope to the Moon and explore the line where shadow meets the lit portion of the Moon. This line is known as the ‘terminator<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

Along the terminator, light and shadow accentuate features like craters and mountains on the Moon<\/p>\n

For more advice on what to observe on the lunar surface, read our pick of the best features to see on the Moon<\/a> and the most underrated features to see on the Moon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2 October
\n\"TheThe Summer Triangle is a well-known star pattern. Credit: davidhajnal \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Step out tonight at the same time you did last night and look at the Moon. You’ll notice it’s moved slightly to the east (left).<\/p>\n

The Moon tracks eastwards night after night, whereas stars and planets don’t really change position to any obvious degree, from one night to the next.<\/p>\n

That’s why the Moon seems to hop across the sky throughout the course of a week, visiting different bodies as it does so.<\/p>\n

Look again at the Summer Triangle. You’ll see the ‘arrow’ it forms now no longer points directly at the Moon.<\/p>\n

However, the imaginary line formed by the Moon, Altair and Vega now appears more straight.<\/p>\n

And you’ll notice the Moon is closer to Saturn than it was the night before.<\/p>\n

Take another look at the Moon through your binoculars. The lit portion should be slightly greater than it was the previous night.<\/p>\n

Can you see any craters or other features that you couldn’t see last night?<\/p>\n

3 October
\n\"OnOn 3 October 2025, the Moon is halfway between Altair and Saturn. Credit: Stellarium<\/p>\n

Tonight the Earth-facing side of the Moon is even more illuminated than it was the night before before.<\/p>\n

The Moon is now well on its way to becoming the full Moon that we’ll see on 6\/7 October.<\/p>\n

Through binoculars or a telescope, you’ll now have good views of two of the most prominent craters on the Moon.<\/p>\n

\"CanCan you see crater Copernicus on the Moon tonight? Credit: Marc Delaney, Barry, Wales, UK<\/p>\n

Crater Copernicus<\/a> is the topmost of these two craters, located almost in the centre of the disc of the Moon, surrounded by dark material.<\/p>\n

The bottom crater is Tycho<\/a>, which is also one of the most famous craters on the Moon.<\/p>\n

And you’ll notice the Moon is much closer to Saturn: it’s about halfway between Saturn and the bright star Altair.<\/p>\n

\"TychoTycho crater. Credit: Steve Fox, Camberley, Surrey, UK.
\n4 October<\/p>\n

Think back to the start of October, when the Moon was in the south by the time the sky grew dark.<\/p>\n

It should now be in the southeast at the same time, and is fuller, as well as being much closer to Saturn.<\/p>\n

5 October
\n\"SaturnSaturn and the Moon are closest on 5 October 2025, just two days before the Harvest Moon supermoon. Credit: Stellarium<\/p>\n

Tonight the Moon and Saturn rise in roughly the same location above the eastern horizon, and by the time darkness falls, they’ll both be in the southeast.<\/p>\n

Take a look at where Saturn is in relation to the Moon. Then take a look an hour or two later and notice where Saturn is now in relation to the Moon.<\/p>\n

Have the two changed position relative to one another?<\/p>\n

The Moon and Saturn’s apparent close proximity to one another is a good lesson in how we perceive the night sky as a flat dome.<\/p>\n

The Moon is an average of 384,400 km (238,855 miles) away, according to NASA, while Saturn is over 1 billion km away (just under 1 billion miles)!<\/p>\n

That’s why Saturn, even though it’s about 35 times wider than the Moon, appears so much smaller. A reminder that, when it comes to stargazing, it’s all about perspective.<\/p>\n

\"SuperSuper Harvest Moon over midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building, New York City, USA, 17 September 2024. Photo by Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images
\n6 October<\/p>\n

The Moon is now further to the west (left) of Saturn, and is approaching its full phase.<\/p>\n

In fact, the Moon is now virtually full, and this is the Harvest Moon for 2025.<\/p>\n

The Harvest Moon is defined as the full Moon that’s closest to the September equinox<\/a>, which means sometimes the Harvest Moon is the September full Moon, and sometimes it’s the October full Moon.<\/p>\n

7 October
\n\"TheThe 19 August 2024 superman over over Ankara, Turkiye. Photo by Akin Celiktas\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tonight is officially 2025’s Harvest Moon night, marking the first of three supermoons that will close out 2025.<\/p>\n

See if you can spot the full Moon rising above the eastern horizon just as the Sun is setting.<\/p>\n

Does it look enormous? If so, you’re witnessing a well-known phenomenon known as the ‘Moon illusion<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

This is the term used to describe how a low-down full Moon looks absolutely enormous, when in fact its apparent size in the sky isn’t any bigger than when the Moon is higher up.<\/p>\n

It’s a matter of perspective, and likely caused by how enormous the Moon looks when it’s next to foreground objects like tall buildings and trees.<\/p>\n

As well as tonight’s full Moon being the Harvest Moon, it’s also the first of three supermoons in a row.<\/p>\n

\"photographThe Moon illusion describes how the Moon looks enormous when it’s close to the horizon. Credit: Pete Lawrence
\nSupermoons explained<\/p>\n

A supermoon occurs because the Moon’s orbit around Earth isn’t a perfect circle.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Moon’s orbit is elliptical, or egg-shaped, so sometimes it’s closer to Earth than at other times.<\/p>\n

When it’s closest to Earth, it’s known as perigee; when it’s furthest from Earth, it’s apogee.<\/p>\n

And three or more celestial objects in a line is known as ‘syzygy’, so the true astronomical definition of a ‘supermoon’ is a ‘perigee syzygy Moon’.<\/p>\n

In reality, a supermoon won’t really appear much bigger than a ‘regular’ full Moon.<\/p>\n

\"FourFour Supermoons of 2023 captured by Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Kolkata, India, July-September 2023. Equipment: Nikon D5600, Sigma 150-600c, Benro Tripod<\/p>\n

Ignore any claims that a supermoon makes the full Moon look huge. You’re unlikely to notice the difference between a supermoon and a ‘regular’ full Moon the month before it.<\/p>\n

But there’s a point to note around the Moon illusion and the supermoon.<\/p>\n

The Moon’s apparent enormity under these conditions isn’t anything to do with it being a supermoon, but is instead a result of the Moon illusion.<\/p>\n

If you do notice the Moon close to the horizon and it does look massive, some observers may be tempted to suggest the Moon looks huge because it’s a supermoon.<\/p>\n

Keep watching the Moon<\/p>\n

As the month progresses, we’ll see the Moon continue to track eastwards, but it will rise later and later each evening, until it’s not really visible until after midnight.<\/p>\n

However, that means that, from 10\u201314 October, the Moon will be tracking across the Orion constellation and having a close meeting with Jupiter on 13\/14 October.<\/p>\n

The Moon is now also waning, approaching its new Moon phase, which is when it’s on the same side of Earth as the Sun, and therefore not visible.<\/p>\n

The next supermoon rises on 5 November 2025.<\/p>\n

If you observe or photograph the Moon and Saturn or the Harvest Moon supermoon, share your observations and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Harvest Moon rises on Tuesday 7 October 2025, marking the first of three supermoons visible before the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-54583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}